Rangeley swap

It was inevitable that the folks on Raske's "Streamers" mailing list would eventually partake in a swap of Rangeley style streamers.

From The Swapmeister...

It was inevitable that the folks on Raske's "Streamers" mailing list would eventually partake in a swap of Rangeley style streamers. Since my experience with this genre of flies is so limited, I was chomping at the bit for
someone to host a swap. From the classic flies of Carrie Stevens to the modern works of Mike Martinek and others, I just can't seem to get enough of them. I believe what captures me the most is that they are as fishable as they are beautiful.

Although the swap rules were pretty basic - a swap of traditional Rangeley style streamers - the results were anything but ordinary. We have flies that span the range from smaller casting sizes to trollers, from established classical patterns to modern innovations. It just goes to show how inventive people can be even when presented with a pretty specific set of restrictions.

I got out of the swap exactly what I was hoping for - a deeper apprecation of these magnificent flies. From selecting materials to constructing the flies to choosing patterns, the entire swap was a learning experience.

Too all the swappers, thank you very much for your contributions. I hope we can do it again sometime.

Comments on Pete Williams:
After receiving a copy of Mike Martinek's "Streamer Fly Patterns for Trolling and Casting - Vol. II", this fly immediately caught my eye. The combination of the claret wings, copper body and mallard shoulders just jumped off the page, screaming "tie me!" In the initial copies of the book, the rib material was omitted from the pattern recipe. Mike initially remembered it as being doubled copper wire (which is how it appears on my fly), though later he corrected himself stating it was silver oval tinsel. The fly is named after a late fishing, tying and climbing friend of Mike. I first fished this streamer on the Connetquot River, where it performed as good as it looks. Claret is a color that appears in many of the older patterns, but seems to be seldom used today. Perhaps our fly fishing forefathers knew something we don't. I think this streamer, as well as a few more claret patterns, will find a place in my fly box.

The Raven

Submitted By Chris Del Plato

The Raven (Originated By Chris Del Plato)

Hook: Martinek Rangeley 8xl

Thread: Black Uni 8/0

Body: Purple Uni-Stretch

Rib/Tag: Silver Mylar Tinsel, size 14

Belly: Purple Bucktail with a small percentage of Red mixed in.

Underwing: Five Peacock Herls tied on top of hook shank, over which is a single Golden Pheasant Crest.

Throat: A short Silver Pheasant Crest feather extending half the belly length, in front of which is several tufts of Red Schlappen.

Wing: Four Black Saddle Hackles (or Natural Black Neck Hackles)

Shoulder: A sparse red/orange side body feather from a Golden Pheasant, over which is an iridescent black, spade/heart shaped Golden Pheasant wing feather.

Cheeks: Jungle Cock

Comments on The Raven:
I've always liked the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, and with another Halloween season upon us, I thought a streamer representing one of his works would be a good seasonal addition to the 'Rangeley Swap'. After thumbing through my unabridged E.A.P. book and re-reading the classic words "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...", I settled on "The Raven".

I did almost name the fly 'Nevermore', though using a preponderance of feathers in its construction dictated my calling it "The Raven". Obviously, the fly would need to have a dark and ominous look befitting its namesake. The components of the fly were taken from different parts of the poem. "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" is where the purple floss body came from. "Then this ebony bird beguiling ." and "Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!" gave the fly it's dark black wing hackle, shoulder and rear-throat. I added a touch of color (purple & red bucktail) for the belly, front-throat and the red/orange golden pheasant body feather behind the shoulder for a gill effect. The other components (silver rib/tag, peacock herl & golden pheasant crest underwing, jungle cock eye) were a nod toward the traditional Rangeley dressings.

"The Raven" was tied in the usual Carrie Stevens fashion and using some of Mike Martinek's techniques, which I feel give the wing/shoulder assemblies more structure and support. Please bear in mind that as of this writing the pattern is yet unproven as a 'fishing fly'. I'll put it through its paces on the stream this spring. I hope you enjoy looking at it, and even tying it - if you dare! " Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore' ! "

Grizzly Prince

Throat: A small bunch of white bucktail extending slightly beyond the bend of the hook. Under this a very small bunch of orange hackle fibers.

Wing: Four white saddle hackles. These are flanked on each side by a pair grizzly hackles with all the hackle fibers on the bottom half of the hackle stripped from the stem. These should be tied in as to cover the top half of the white saddle hackles, allowing the bottom half of the white saddle hackles to show.

Shoulders: Wood duck flank, 1/3 wing length.

Cheeks: Jungle Cock.

Lindsey's Comments:
This fly pattern was originated by Austin S. Hogan, the founding director of the American Museum of flyfishing in Manchester, New Hampshire. He was noted for his use of color and the blending together of colors. As exemplified in this fly he also employed hackles which had the bottom half removed. Such an approach emphasizes the whiteness of the belly.

Moonglow

Submitted By Stan Jakubaszek

Moonglow

Tag: Burnt Orange Floss

Tail: Hot Orange Gold Pheasant Crest

Body: Gold Holographic Tinsel

Belly: Rainbow Krystal Flash

Throat: Fluorescent Yellow Schlappen

UnderWing: Pearl "Pearly"

Wing: 2 Purple hackles w/ 2 Furnace hackles Over

Shoulder/Cheek: Tragopan Body Feather

Topping: Hot Orange Golden Pheasant Crest

Goldie Hawn

Submitted By Ron McKusick

Goldie Hawn

Hook: Heritage size 4 10 x long

Body: Black floss, I used 2 strands of the Danvilles wrapped down and back

Rib: Medium flat silver mylar tinsel

Belly: Red Bucktail close to hook then black bucktail both reaching just to the bend of the hook.

Throat: Guinea dyed orange

Underwing: Orange Bucktail and then a small bunch of orange webby schlappen fibers

Comments:
I decided to play chemist for this swap and was monkeying around with purple dyes to try and obtain my favorite shade of lavender, when I came upon this beautiful light purple hue. I thought to myself "this would be great for a Magog Smelt", and decided to create a featherwing conversion of this solid and productive bucktail pattern for the swap. The second pattern, the Purple Hawk, is one of my own imagination. Purple and pink complement each other quite nicely, and both hues can be found in the Rainbow Smelts found up here in Maine, so though an untested pattern, I'm positive this will be a producer this spring. I'm also very partial to the "look" a pattern has when a jungle cock body feather is used as a shoulder....It's sleek and speedy looking....like a hawk (get it?)....and does that shoulder scream out baitfish, or what?

R.B. Supervisor

Wing: Sparse white bucktail, over which are two royal blue saddle hackles flanked by two white saddle hackles that are 2/3 as long as the blue hackles.

Shoulder: Mallard or Wood Duck flank feathers

Cheeks: Jungle Cock

Clyde's Comments On This Pattern
I call the pattern the "RB Supervisor." It stands for Rangeley-style Blue Supervisor. In trying to come up with a pattern for the swap I kept coming up with road-blocks - already taken, already on your www site, or material issues. So I decided to take one of my favorite streamer patterns for fishing the Moosehead area and convert it to a Rangeley-style streamer. I am very pleased with the results, and if the pattern proves itself this spring, I may be replacing the Blue Supervisor that I normally tie. Here's the pattern I normally tie for comparison.

Blue Supervisor

Submitted By Clyde Watson

Blue Supervisor

Thread: black or olive (the trout at a particular pond in Maine prefer olive over black for thread choice)

Hook: casting streamer

Tail: Short tuff of red yarn

Body: Flat silver tinsel

Underwing: White Bucktail

Wing: 1pr of white saddles over 2pr of light blue saddles

Topping: 3 or 4 strands of peacock herl

Big Diamond Streamer

Submitted By Roger Whitcomb

Big Diamond Streamer

Hook: Mustad # 94720, # 9575, or #79580

Tail: Red Swan

Body: silver tinsel double wrapped

Rib: oval silver tinsel

Wing: Two golden yellow hackles flanked by two golden badger hackles

Topping: Golden pheasant crest dyed red

Throat: Greenish-blue bucktail covered by guinea hen body feathers

Shoulder: Ruffed Grouse

Cheeks: Jungle cock

Head: Black

Roger's Comments On This Pattern
Named for Big Diamond Pond in Stewartstown, NH. I have found this streamer to be a productive casting & trolling streamer here in northern Vermont, an area not far from the Diamond ponds. The pattern, with the exception of the shoulders & topping, is the same as I used in the early 50's on the Diamonds. The Big Diamonds I used at that time had shoulders made from the black & white barred Mandarin body feather. The horns are replaced by topping which is the result when the original pattern is fished. I encourage you to try this streamer in sizes 6-10 for casting, and in larger sizes and tandems for trolling.